Skyline High School

I've been impressed by the quality of teaching and the dedication of so many of my 2 students' teachers--who are willing to meet with my kids during lunch or after school, and some willing to offer special study sessions in the community for students. Such dedication! And in light of the always reduced funding in public schools, Skyline teachers often dig into their own pockets if donations from student families and the PTSA still can't fund what is needed.
—Submitted by a parent

The reason I give only two stars is because there is a lack of expectation at Skyline. The amount of homework for classes other than AP is minimal. Some of teachers are truly horrendous yet the school has done nothing about them. There are also some very good teachers though. An A is awarded for having done the work, not for having done an excellent job. Some of the classes I have observed are taught at the level of a 7th grade. It does a diservice to those students who expect to get a high school education and to be prepared for college. The teachers need to have a cohesive discipline policy and enforce it. I could never recommend that a parent send their kid to Skyline, not if there is another option.
—Submitted by a teacher

Hi my name is Mark Bulnes I am a SKYLINE alumni I thought SKYLINE was a very good school. I thought the teachers were vary professional and the teachers did not baby you. When I tell people I graduated from SKYLINE HIGH I say it vary much pride. MARK BULNES CLASS of 1980
—Submitted by a parent

Skyline high is a really wonderful place. I went there for three years, I moved which explains why I'm not there. Skyline is really nice, there are so many nice people and teachers. It has an overall good vibe to the campus. The forest-like environment is somewhat peaceful and calming. The teachers there range from being lazy to incredibly helpful. One teacher I had for French, Madame Dubois, really cared about us. She tried to push you to do your work. There are also many clubs and programs you can join. They even have a French student exchange program where you and your family can host a French student for a week. There are also many sports there and the Performing Arts department is wonderful as well. All in all, it's a really great school, way better that any other Oakland public high school.
—Submitted by a student

This school is horrible. I attended this school for four years. The teachers are not as helpful as they should be. It seems like most teachers are there to just get their paycheck at the end of the week. The counselors are even worse. They never give you the right classes you need, so you have to go wait in a very, very long line or wait very, very long for the counselor to see you. These school counselors do not even counsel students. Also the security staff are ridiculously horrible. It is so easy to cut class at Skyline High. The security Staff are too friendly with the students, therefore they let students so whatever they please, unless they know they are being watched by their superiors.
—Submitted by a student

Skyline has some excellent class offerings for AP classes, a variety of academies, extracurricular activities, student clubs, and decent sport programs (although not competitive as NCS). There could be more parents attending PTSA meetings and other parent groups. The same handful of parents show up to meetings and volunteer when administration need support. If you are a parent/guardian of a Skyline student, you should volunteer at least 4-6 hours a month at their school. The campus is pretty clean and green. however, there is an ongoing problem with some students not going to class and hanging out on campus. Overall, I would recommend Skyline over some of the other public schools in Oakland. And, if your students are able to take AP classes, save your money from paying for them to go to private schools. Parent of a senior student.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter is a Junior this year (2009-2010), and I am so pleased at her 'suite' of teachers. She has a fabulous band teacher (Vince Toliver), his second year at the school. Ms. Mac for AP History, Mr. Jollymore for AP English, and Ms. Ostrom for AP Environmental Science are all tremendously dedicated and have great rapport with the students. I was thrilled at Back to School night to find out that Mr. Ng (her Chemistry teacher from last year) is the Junior class sponsor - he's a great teacher, also in his second year at Skyline. The kids are also dynamic and think for themselves. Come visit!
—Submitted by a parent

great teachers and performing arts program
—Submitted by a parent

Skyline High is one of the best High Schools in the area. Each year, this school sends many of its graduates to elite Universities across the nation. The curriculum is by far superior compare to other High Schools in Oakland. My son was accepted to Many of the top Ivy Leagues, including Harvard, Yale and Princeton. I highly recommend sending your kids to Skyline instead of wasting money on Bishop O'Dowd and many of the private schools around.
—Submitted by a parent

If ever there was a school that teaches students that life isn't always fair but that if you show up and work hard you can succeed, then this is the place. No silver spoon, sheltered, false sense of entitlement here. No need to have a 'diversity awareness day' like so many homogeneous private and suburban schools. It is probably one of the most socially and economically diverse schools in the country and the students are challenged to learn to work together each and every day. And, it is on top of a hill surrounded by spectacular open space so it has a one of a kind location. Is it perfect? No and that is it's best feature. It is all about instilling gritty self determination.
—Submitted by a parent

The school is reinventing itself as we speak. Teachers and administrators truely care about the incoming students and are committed to their success, lots of academic as well as personal support. They address the whole person!
—Submitted by a parent

Now Skyline High School can now be one of the Great High Schools in California under Mr. Sye's leadership and guidance. Also Skyline H.S. has one of the best track and field coaches in the world - Jamal Cooks, PhD (in Education). The track team competes on the National level with many elite runners getting the attention of many colleges nation wide. Due to great coaching and many blessings, I have a Nationally ranked hurdler in the 11th grade at Skyline taking several AP classes. The Skyline campus is a beautifully maintained 40 acres of land with many parent volunteers like myself who love being a part of the Skyline campus community.
—Submitted by a parent

Principal is new, however, he is providing great leadership! Given time, with his leadership, the school will once again become a great!
—Submitted by a parent

Relax and send your kid to Skyline. The school has a super performing arts department, a ton of sports and clubs, many AP classes, and a lot of nice kids. It is a 'real' high school, unlike the experimental versions found all over Oakland these days. This year, Skyline is recovering from two previous years of an incredibly poor principal. Many of the teachers and parents are quite happy with the NEW principal who was brought in last summer, Mr. Albert Sye. He is definitely a professional. The school isn't perfect, and it deals with an assortment of problems seen in other public schools. However, the setting is spectacular, there are plenty of students staying on track, and the school is on its way up. It has served my children very well. I hope you come on board and help make the school even better. Parent with children in Class '06 and '11.
—Submitted by a parent

One of the earlier reviews states that the AP classes aat Skyline are a joke which couldn't be more wrong. The College Board just sent out a notice that last year 53 Skyline students were 'AP Scholars' which means that they scored 3 or better (out of 5) on at least three AP exams. The AP classes at Skyline are varied and challenging and, as these results demonstrate, do an excellent job of preparing the students for the exam and for college.
—Submitted by a parent

As a grad who still spends time in Oakland, the decline of Skyline pains me. The campus has become poorly maintained. The quality of the education has declined, as speaking to current students and grads quickly reveals life skills' deficiencies that they aren't even aware of. Time for change in the school's leadership and teaching staff........................for the sake of the students!

My daughter graduated from Skyline in 2005. My son will graduate next week. Both of them have been accepted at USF, so I am very satisfied with Skyline. As a large, urban, comprehensive high school (a dying breed?) there are a lot of good things happening there. For one thing, the performing arts program is fantastic, with Theater, Music and Dance all very well represented. There is no denying that the general condition of the public school system does have a negative affect on Skyline, for example, the inadequate number of counselors. My kids' teachers have ranged from bad to excellent. Overall, I think it's a pretty good reflection of life in Oakland in general. There are lots of really great kids at Skyline and my kids are proud to have gone there.
—Submitted by a parent

One of the other reviews is grossly inaccurate. Kathy wrote that 90% of the students go to college, but as a recent alum, I know that this number is way off. Among my graduating class, around 7% went straight to a 4-year university. A slightly larger number, about a third applied to enroll at a community college but no where near 90%. In my year, only 6 of about 600 (or close to 1%) got accepted to UC Berkeley. None got accepted to Stanford. When I was there, I found that I fight to get into college preparatory classes, because the school allocates most of its resources to remedial teaching and disciplinary problems. AP classes are of very poor quality, as witnessed by the very low test scores. Many students in these classes choose not to even take the tests. Socially, this place is bad too because of racial hostilities.

My daughter is currently a junior @ Skyline. I am very disappointed in the counseling staff. It is very difficult to reach a counselor or an administrative staff @ the school. Freshmen year may have been the year she had the best teachers. Science classes are good, but math is very weak. Level of parent involvement is minimal I hate to say. It is just a small group of very dedicated parents who are active.
—Submitted by a parent

Skyline is definitely a good school, it's like the average school, but in someways better. There are the usual kids, who love to cause trouble, but there are also many other students that don;t usually cause the problems. Skyline has made a huge improvement over the years, especially testing wise, with the conjoined effort of parents, teachers, and kids, but sadly it's an improvement school now. In my opinion, all Skyline really needs is to hire some better, more dedicated security guards.
—Submitted by =), a student